The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-24
MRS. DALLAS'S HIDING-PLACE.
After Months Spent in Searching for Her
She Is Found in Poor House.

Superintendent Fletcher, of the Insane Hos
pital. following the clew Mr.. Armstrong, of Han
cock county, gave in his letter to the Journal
concerning the probable discovery of Mrs. Dali
las, for whom months of unremitting search had
been made. went to Greenfield yesterday. His
stenographer accompanied him, and at the sta
ton there Dr. Morton, of that town, met and
took them in his carriage 10 the Armstrong
farm. This was ive-mile drive, and at its end
the party came across Mr. Armstrong, who told
Dr. Fletcher how he was impellea to write let
ter to the Journal He had seen in the legisla-
tive reports of this paper that Senator Drake
had introduced resolution looking to an inves-
tigation of the disappearance Of Mrs. Dallas.
1t Immediately occurred to him that he had
heard one of the neighbors say there WAS an in
sane woman of that name in the county asylum
He cut out the slip relative to the Drake resou-
ton. and at the earliest opportunity made inaui.
sizes, when he was informed thata woman named
Dallas had been brought to the county asylum
so the fail of 1885.
Mr.. Armstrong then wrote the letter quoted
in yesterdays Journal. DR.. Fletcher and party
went to the county asylum, and when Mrs
Dallas was brought into his presence she was at
once recognized as the missing woman some
what 1eshier but otherwise unchanged. She
recognized the Doctor and started to leave the
COON, but he assuring her that he would not take
her away with him, she consented to shake
hands. However. she would say very little. On
being asked If she would like to see her husband
she said no, though she had no objections to his
being told Of her hiding place. Mrs. Dallas's
appearance spoke well for the good treatment Of
Mr.. OBannon and his wife, who have charge of
the county asylum. The story of the woman's
presence there, as given by Mr.. O'Bannon, was:
she was brought to me on the 7th of October.
1885, by the trustee of Brown township. Her
clothes were marked Eliza Dallas and she
gave that as her mama. ! had never heard of a
woman of that name being missed.
"We have had to keep her locked up good deal
for over year, for she would 60 out nights and
stay. was afraid she would freeze. She ran
away to knghtstown once. l did not know
whether she had husband or not have ques-
tioned her, but it seemed to hurt her feelings to
talk about 1t. She would cry. Icamet to the con-
elusion she was married.
''She talked of her children sometimes She
said she had one and then two, and then again
she would tell us she had three. When she be-
gan to talk of her husband. she would cry and
speak of her little log house. What / could
gather from her would amount to nothing.
When she first came she told me she was from
Lagrange county, and that her husbands name
was James Dallas. never could rely upon any
thing.
ibid she ever say anything about Indianapo-
lis2" asked DR.. Fletcher.
mo; but thought from her clothes she came
from there. Once in awhile she would say, when
] asked her where she came from. asked her
1t she lived in a house like this oh, perhaps it
was a longer building When she came she had
on calico dress, flannel skirt and knit under
wear, all marked Eliza Dallas. Twice since she
has been here she mas escaped She came back
once, and brought eight ten yards of calico
and some crab-appleS. She said she had sold
hickory nuts"
"Does she draw any9' said Dr. Fletcher
well, she draws some and it seems as though
her mind runs on little log house and seeds.
At first she would co out in the corn-f field and
gather seeds. and on one occasion she had eight
DR. rem bushels husked before knew it."
Mr. and Mrs. OBannon were unable to give
any particulars or Mrs. Dallass whereabouts be
fore she came 10 them, except that she was
brought to the asylum by John S. Orr the trus
tee Of Brown township DR.. Fletcher intends to
see him and, if possible, trace Mrs. Dallas's
course from the very moment of her Mysterious
disappearance. He returned to the city at
O'clock yesterday morning, leaving the woman
still at the county asylum. He will GO there
with an attendant this afternoon to bring her
back to the hospital.
Journal reporter yesterday said: 81 knew Mrs
Dallas we'll lived in the same town where
she once had a home. Walcottville, Lagrange
county. also knew her father and mother and
her husband Her father a well-to-do
farmer. worth probably at his death SIS, 000
He was deacon in the Baptist Church. very
intelligent man, and think he represented his
county at time in the Legislature. He,
mother years before Mrs. Dallas came tc
the asylum, becGv.s deranged and is in that u
s,itution now. Mrs. Da.las's fathers name was
Henry Young. Eliza Young, Dallas was
very bright and handsome girl She always
however. had melancholy disposition. She is
much older than am but went to school to-
gether and remember she was always writing
about gloomy subjects-death. the grave, futur
ity and all those things. She married James
Dallas, then young soldier of the late war
Her father died and left his property to his wife
then in the asylum, and to this daughter Eliza
who soon after became deranged, and was ais,
taken to the sylun these being mis- only heirs
After Dnllas's marriage with Eliza they went tt
live upon the old homestead of her father, and
Dallas has been living upon the farm since
lie is very honorable and reputable man, stand
ing well in the community. He told me whel
! was at Wolcottvile last summer that he hat
made every effort to find his wife, but had no
discovered trace Of her, though he had hear'
from some place in New York which had at frs
seemed to offer a hope. but the information die
not amount to anything. There seemed to b.
no tangible clew. l think she was somewha
deranged when ne married her. She had singu
lar freaks and manias as a school girl
chiefly peculiarities in dress and manner"